A pick-up truck found engulfed in flames in Port Coquitlam is thought to be connected to a morning shooting that left one man dead at a recreation centre in Langley Wednesday.
Sgt. Frank Jang, of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, told the Tri-City News he believes a pick-up truck found burning in the 1200-block of Riverside Drive Wednesday is connected to the Langley murder, which left a single 40-year-old man dead from gunshot wounds at the Langley Sportsplex.
Langley RCMP units arrived on the scene at about 9 a.m. Wednesday morning to find the man bleeding from his wounds.
“Despite all attempts to revive the individual they succumbed to their injuries,” added a Langley RCMP spokesperson in a press release, adding “this does not appear to be a random act.
At around 9:19 a.m., a call came in to Coquitlam RCMP and Coquitlam Fire and Rescue that a Dodge pick-up truck was burning near Terry Fox secondary school, according to Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson Deanna Law.
Sgt. Jang said IHIT does not yet have any suspects in the shooting and the murdered man's identity has not yet been released.
Police are calling on the public to provide dashcam footage that may have captured the grey Dodge pick-up en route from the Langley Sportsplex to the Port Coquitlam neighbourhood. Jang said the footage could have been captured as early as 8:30 a.m. along such arteries as the Golden Ears Bridge or Lougheed Highway.
“Depending on how good that video is, you may very well have the footage of the shooter and perhaps those who are aiding and abetting them,” Sgt. Jang told Global News outside the Langley Sportsplex.
The death comes as the latest in a spate of targeted shootings: over the weekend, a Brothers Keepers gangster was killed in a shooting at Coal Harbour; and on Monday evening, Coquitlam’s Bailey McKinney has murdered next to the basketball courts at Town Centre Park, scattering park-goers.
Sgt. Jang said Tuesday there is no evidence linking McKinney's death to a rise in gang violence, though he did not rule the possibility out, noting the man had a history of police interactions and had “conflict” with certain individuals who may be responsible for his murder.
According to the online court services, Bailey Luke Joseph McKinney, 20, faced a dozen charges in connection to a Coquitlam incident on Sept. 23 and 24, 2019, namely:
- unlawful confinement or imprisonment
- assault with a weapon
- assault
- uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm
- two counts of possession of a firearm with ammunition
- two counts of possession of a firearm without a licence or registration
- use of a firearm to commit an indictable offence
- three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking
He was due to make court appearances at Surrey provincial court on May 12, and in Port Coquitlam provincial court on May 20.
IHIT, which takes over shooting investigations in the event of a death, continues to canvass for witnesses in the Coquitlam shooting.
Meanwhile, Coquitlam RCMP said it has upped its patrols in parks, deploying bike units and police on ATVs in addition to its regular uniformed officers.
